Kevin Phillips equalled Brian Clough's post-war club record with his 34th goal of the season as Sunderland marched into the First Division play-off final.
Leading scorer Phillips, a £350,000 summer signing from Watford, struck
Sunderland's 38th-minute second at a packed Stadium of Light to send Peter
Reid's men to Wembley.
Nicky Marker's 21st-minute own goal had given the hosts the lead. But if
Phillips was a hero then so was goalkeeper Lionel Perez, who made two wonderful
second-half saves to maintain the aggregate lead.
It took the home side only five minutes to threaten when Allan Johnston
sidefooted a yard over the bar.
The confident mood changed slightly when Phillips seemed to pull up with a
calf strain in the eighth minute, although fortunately it did not appear too
bad.
It was now all Sunderland as skipper Kevin Ball tested nervy Simon Tracey with
a 22-yard drive which the stand-in keeper could only parry.
The visitors looked full of pace in attack and in the 13th minute Dean
Saunders powered a half-volley over after a fine right-wing break by Paul
Devlin.
Lee Sandford became the first of three visiting defenders to get booked in the
opening half after a bad foul on Nicky Summerbee in the 15th minute. Chris
Wilder and David Holdsworth soon followed into the referee's notebook.
All the tension disappeared in the 21st minute when Sunderland drew level on
aggregate. Johnston struck a cross-shot from the left and Marker got an unlucky
touch to deflect the ball into the net off the far post.
In the space of two minutes both Phillips and Johnston went close to adding a
second before Phillips did score his record-equalling goal seven minutes before
the break.
Michael Gray, back in the home side after serving a three-match ban, struck
two efforts goalwards, the second of which was cleared off the line before the
ball broke to Summerbee wide on the right.
The former Manchester City winger's cross-shot was sidefooted home by Phillips
from six yards - and it was the most crucial goal he had scored this campaign.
With the crowd in full voice Johnston had a 12-yard effort deflected onto the
post as the hosts turned up the heat - and Blades boss Steve Thompson must have
been relieved when the whistle blew for half-time.
Niall Quinn had a great chance to relax any remaining Sunderland nerves in the
50th minute when Lee Clark flicked on a Holloway cross but the Republic of
Ireland striker's first touch let him down and keeper Tracey was grateful to
gather at the forward's feet.
United were relying more and more on Devlin's pace on the occasional breakaway
but Johnston was soon forcing Tracey into a fine flying save after the Scot's
55th-minute curler.
Holloway saved the home side two minutes later after an incisive break by Ian
Hamilton before Marker was replaced by Graham Stuart in the 58th minute, the
former Everton star playing with a broken left hand.
The arrival of the substitute changed the pace of the game with United turning
up the hat on the home defence.
Darren Williams produced a fine clearance in the 63rd minute before Devlin
scuffed a shot in the following minute when clear at inside right.
Saunders then lifted a lob over as the visitors showed they were not going to
go down without a fight, much to the delight of their 1,800 fans.
With 17 minutes remaining Sunderland keeper Perez, with his future at the club
in doubt, produced two super saves to thwart Stuart before he made a truly
world-class save to thwart Devlin's piledriver from 15 yards.
Firstly the enigmatic Frenchman flung himself to his right to somehow parry a
sweetly-struck drive from the former Birmingham star before he got up to stretch
and save Saunders' follow-up header at close range.
Sunderland deserved their place in the final but how the Blades fought in a
fine second period.
Teams
Sunderland: Perez, Holloway, Gray, Clark, Craddock, Williams,
Summerbee, Ball, Quinn, Phillips (Dichio 76), Johnston.
Subs Not Used: Rae, Ord.
Booked: Johnston, Dichio.
Goals: Marker 21 og, Phillips 38.
Sheff Utd: Tracey, Wilder, Quinn, Ford (Dellas 71), Sandford,
Holdsworth, Saunders, Marker (Stuart 58), Devlin,
Marcello (Morris 81), Hamilton.
Booked: Wilder, Sandford, Holdsworth.
Att: 40,092
Ref: M E Pierce (Portsmouth).
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